Electrical-circuit protector.



No. 867,212. 'PATENTED SEPT. 24, 1907. i C. A. ROLFB.

v ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT PROTECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18, 1905 with.

UNITED STATES PATIENT ossros.

' CHARLES ROLFE, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, sssIoNon TO ROLFE'ELEC'IRIC(LOMPANY,

OF ROCHESTER, NEW' YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRICAL-CIRCUIT PROTECTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 24,1907.

Application-filed September 13,1905. Serial No. 279008.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I. CHARLES A. Ronrn, a citizenoi the United States,residing at Rochester, in'the State 'oi New York. have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Electrical-Circuit Protectors, ofwhich the following is a 1' ull. clear, concise, and exact descrip-'simple, practical and inexpensive form of circuit pro tect or, and tosimplify the construction thereof, and

thereby minimize expense; to reduce the amount of' space required forthe protectors when mounted'in bank; toincrease the efficiency andeffectiveness of such devices, and to accomplish the foregoing andptherdesirable results in a simple and expeditious manner. In the arrangementwhich I show herein for carrying out my invention, a set or series ofprotectors are mounted upon a support or board on opposite sidesthereof. Each protector conveniently consists of a removable cartridgecontaining a self-soldering protective mechanism which is operated bythe passage of an unduly strong current. This cartridge is rnounted insuitable contacts which are sovarmnged that as a preferred arrangement,the cartridge is in vertical position. \Vhen'an unduly strong currentoperates the cartridge, the circuitis opened within it, and suitableground and alarm circuits are preferably closed by additional contacts.By providing the cartridge with an entire circuit opening mechanism.long external springs such as have heretofore been used to cooperatewith heat cartridges in electrical circuit protectors, are dispensed Allthat is necessary are suitable contacts to support and connect with thecartridge, but these need not be of spring construction, and therefore,are much more cheaply constructed and more easily handled.

By mounting the cartridge in a vertical instead of a horizontal positionthe amount of space required by each protector is less, and the wholearrangement is more compact and smaller in size,' so that space ismuchbetter economized.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a cross sectional view of aboard or rack provided with a bank of protectors embodying my presentinvention. Fig. 2

is a side view of a portion of the same. Fig. 3 is a lo'ngitudinalsection of the cartridge; and Fig. 4 is a view of a detail construction.I

In the drawings I have shown a part of a protector board provided with aset or bank of protectors; the board has a support or frame piece 1, onthe opposite sides of which the protectors are mounted. These protectorsare conveniently arranged .inrows with vathe protectors are alike inconstruction,a description of one of them will serve for all: Eachprotector comprises a heat cartridge 2, supported by contacts 3 and 4.

The heat cartridge 2. conveniently consistsot'a tube 5, v of insulatingmaterial containing a shuttle like structure 6, rnade'in the form ofsemi-cylindrical shell 7 with end lugs or disks 838 which are fittedwithin and close the oppositeends of the tube or barnel 5. One

of the disks 8. supports ,a plug consisting as shown in Fig. 4, of aninsulating cylinder 9. provided at one end with a metallic cap-10, andat the other end with a metal sleeve 11, having forks 12, 12. *A rotarytoothed wheel 13 is pivoted at 14, and soldered between the jerks 12.12. A coil 15. of fine wire, is wound around the sleeve 11.- One end ofthis coil 15, is connected with the cap 10, and -the other end with oneof the forks to said disk 8. This plunger 16 is provided with a springclip or catch 17, the end of which is adapted and arranged to engage theteeth of the wheel 13. A spring 18. is arranged outside of the innerreduced end of the plunger 16, and braced against a middle orintermediate disk 1.9, formed on the shell 7. The end of the plunger 16,is desirably provided with a fiat disk 20. The contacts 3 and 4, uponwhich th cartridge 2 is mounted, are provided by metallic strips 22 and21 respectively, which ext nd vertically alongside of a board or support1, and havet-hoir ends bent outwardly to form such contacts: Othermetallic strips 23 and sulating strips 81, 31 interposed between thesuccessive strips; thus the strips are all insulated from one anotherand from the support 1. The lower end of the strip 22 24, are arrangedbetween thestrip 21 and the board 1. The upper end of the strip 23' isalso bent outwardly,-

of each right hand protector, is turned outwardly so as to form a switchboard terminal 32, and an additional strip 33 is arranged betweensupport- 1 and the strip 24, and supported and insulated the same as theother strips, and has its lower end turned outwardly so as to form theother switch board terminal 34. In the left hand protectors, the strip21 is extended downwardly, then bent outwardly, so as to form the lineterminal 35.

55 rious protectors in each row'o pp'osli te one another. As

with said strip.

The innermos't'strip 33,".iis also ext ended down and. out so as to foimthe other lin'eterminal 361 A connector 37, 'is extended between-thelower endof the strip 21' ofea'ch right hand protector and the-- strip24 of the corresponding left hand protector.- Another connector 38,extends between the strips 33 and 22 of oppositely disposed protectors.The strips 21 and 24 of each'- protectonf are connected with each.other. Thus thecircuit is made'from one linelto terminal 35, thenc etostrip 21 of left hand protector, then through the heat coil 2 .of suchprotector, strip 22, conductor 38, strip 33 of right hand'protector,terminal 34 to switchboard thence back to-terminal 32, to strip throughthe support 1, above the twoprotectors forming a pair; upon theoperation ofeitherfprotector, this strip 25 will strike the bar 42, .andthereby groundthe circuit as well as opening it in. the protector, andclosing the-alarm circuit through contact 25. i I

The particular form ofthe heat coil 2 shown herein has been illustrateddescribed and claimed in another application Serial No." 277,948, filedSeptember 11, 1905, and therefore is not claimed alone in thisapplication.

It will be understood that changes and modifications canbe made withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention.

- What i claim isz 1. The com binat'ion with aboard or support, of linecontacts'running lengthwise of the same and having their ends bent, aheat cartridge supported by saidline contacts lengthwise of saidboard-or support,'-said heat cartridge being provided with aslidingmembc'r, aud a contact strip also running lengthwise of saidboard and having its end bent so as to come opposite the end of saidsliding member, whereby the latter upon operation makes connection 2.The combination with a board or' support, of line. contactsrunning'lengthwise of the same and having their ends bent, aheatcartridge supported by said line contacts lengthwise of said boardorsupport, said heat cartridge being provided with a sliding .member, acontact stripalsb running lengthwise. of said board and having its endbent so as to come opposite the. end of said sliding member, whereby thelatter upon operation makes connection with saidstri'p, and a groundcontact on the other side of the bent end of said contact'strip, withwhich the latter is-adapted to make connection when actuated bysaidplunger. l v

3. The combination withla board or support, oi. linev contacts runninglengthswise of the sameand having'their ground contact on the other sideof the.

4 The combination with a' supporting board, of metallic strips securedto said board alongside of the same; there being four strips, three ofwhichhave their ends bent out.\vardly, and thefourth of which, extendsupwardly beyond the others, a heat cartridge supported by two of theoutwardly bent ends of two of said strips; said cartridge being providedwith a circuit opening device and means for-actuating the same, andhaving a part which projects.outwardly upon operation, so as to engagenc outwardly bent end of the third of said bent strips, and a lightningarrester with which the fourth strip makesconnection.

5. lhe combination with a vertically disposed support,

of heat cartridges arranged on opposite sides thereof, each ofsuclrcartridges being provided with circuit controlling mechanism, and themeans for actuating the same,

metallic'strips arranged on opposite sides of said support,',

there being four stripson each side, three of which having their endsbent outwardly, the heat'cartridge being supportedby two of the same,and the third being extended over the end of the cartridge, a cross bar42 arranged:

' above the'bent ends of the third mentioned metallic strips,

and a lightning arr'ester mounted upon the-support, the fourth strip oneach sideof'the board with said lightning arrestcr.

6. The combination with a pair of metallic supporting strips, of a heatcartridge supported thereby, said cartridge being provided withself-soldering circuit-opening mechanism, and having means extendingthrough the cartridge for returning said mechanism to normal position. c

7. The combination of a pair of metallic supporting strips and a heatcartridge supported thereby, said cartridge being provided withself-soldering circuit-opening mechanism, and having a reciprocatingplunger operated by said mechanism and extended through the cartridge,

-whereby it can be actuated to return said mechanism to operativeposition. I

-8.,lhe combination with a pair of supporting strips, of

aheat cartridgesupported thereby, said cartridge being provided withcircuit controlling mechanism and having'a movable part extended throughsaid cartridge, and a third strip arranged to be contacted with saidmovable part.

, 9. The combination of a pair of metallic supporting strips, a heatcartridge supported thereby and provided with self-solderingcircuit-opening mechanism, having a plunger releasable by saidmechanismu'pon operation, said plunger extending through one end of thecartridge, and

a third-strip arranged opposite said plunger so as to becontactcdwitli by the same upon'release.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe in 13th day of September A. 'D.1905.

CHARLES A. ROLFE.

Witnesses; r i I I A. Min-Lint Bnnrrsnm;

HIP. Ross.

being connected name this

